Red In Tooth and Claw
by CherLnIDA
Summary: (RAZR AU) Zim is finally frustrated with his treatment at the Academy, after a harsh rejection turns to humiliation, he goes to Tallest Miyuki for guidance; he agrees to an archaic pact called the Dark Horse Oath which forever bars him from being Tallest but in return is a royal item. Red gets dragged into the Dark Horse Oath, leaving the two Irkens wondering about the future.
1. Chapter 1

Red In Tooth And Claw

By Cherilyn Ohlau

Invader Zim (2001-2006) is owned by Jhonen Vasquez and Nickelodeon

Warning: Violent content, and sexual content; this is an AU

" _And yet I have had the weakness, and have still the weakness, to wish you to know with what a sudden mastery you kindled me, heap of ashes that I am, into fire."_

― _Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities_

Chapter One

The young Irken elites lined on the dirt as an old Irken with glassy eyes, wrapped in a robe, plastered a V on their foreheads with a dirty black paste like substance. It smelled like soil and burnt herbs, yet the elites were reluctant to complain about the pungent odor. "Blessed by the mother soil, blessed by the father of the heavens, you are blessed to the Tallest hands," the old Irken muttered. This was an archaic blessing passed down by generation, it was supposed to protect young Irkens if their pride was as big as their confidence in battle then, they too paved the path for their regime; so even if an Irken died in battle, they would die peacefully even through pain. This was for their people in the end. "Blessed are the—"

"I don't want it," the smallest Irken of the line said bluntly and rudely, "That stuff is disgusting."

"Zim! Don't be rude!" the coach barked.

"But it _is DISGUSTING!" _Zim protested, "Just look at it! It's bubbling and _horrible!" _The coach apologized to the elder Irken, embarrassed about his behavior. Zim's head was held and a V was carefully drawn although quickly so the elite classes could continue with their seminars. Zim gagged by the stench of his forehead and did his best to wipe the symbol off, but all he did was just irritate his skin; Zim's two taller classmates, Red and Purple looked on in disdain, Zim gloated about being Tallest someday and here he was making commands to an elder. Zim was a single tiny roach thinking he was as big as a beetle. Purple nudged Red, a smug smile on his face, "Did you know that runt has a crush on you?"

"Pfft, so what if he does?" Red replied, "By the time he's old enough this will be nothing but an academic classmate crush and nothing else."

"Oh, but the pipsqueak has been _really really really _serious about it. I thought Zim has been sneaking in letters to your room, or leaving them in your locker?" Purple reminded, stretching the _really's _in a way that got on Red's nerves as he felt his antenna vibrate.

Red could barely speak, his cheeks were warm with embarrassment from being reminded of Zim's precocious little crush that he carried into his Irken teenhood. If Zim had more gall, he would have serenaded to Red inside their campus dorms, but Zim never went that far; not yet anyway. Red didn't want to admit but he kept the letters in a box, but kept them unopened and the pink and beige letters with red stars on were aging. Red never had the heart to just throw them, but he couldn't bring himself to read them either. "He has," Red answered, "Not like I care," he shrugged.

"Oh, you don't, huh?"

"Yeah, _I don't._ Cram it, Pur. I hate it when you brown nose."

Purple smirked, this could be fun, not for Zim; but knocking Zim off his high horse never got old. "Break his heart then," Purple challenged, "After class and during the mess hall, just let him know how you really feel, or are you too much of a _chump_ that you can't do it?"

"What...what?" Red stammered.

"_Reject him_. Do it in front of the other elites, think you can do it?"

Red felt like a stone dropped from his throat to his belly, "Hey, hey, it's fun to pick on him, but we're not _that _cruel. That's...too much." Purple was taken aback at the change of tune by the other Irken.

"Oh, _now_ you decide to grow a compass?!"

"Shut up, Purple!"

"You two corn heads shut the hell up!" their coach shouted, causing the two to fall silent. The training of a battle simulation ended with Zim causing the hologram machine to explode due to a bad throw of a training grenade; classes were cancelled, all of them, for two months, which meant more literature and writing studies and learning how to throw a grenade correctly for the umpteenth time. The slurring hate curdled in Zim's direction, yet no one was in the mood to show Zim what for. Purple nudged Red again as they started having an early lunch, Zim wasn't far from them, just another table across.

"I told you I'm not doing it," Red hissed.

"You're sure as Irk gonna do it," Purple waved a red love star paper in his hands that had Red written in Irken by a black marker, "Or, I'm going to do it for you." Red felt insulted.

"You broke in?!"

"What makes pipsqueak any different?"

Red glared, falling silent and glancing at Zim who kept scratching at the paste embedded in the forehead by the elder earlier. Zim could bounce back from rejection, not like Irkens lived on relationships aside from the civilian drones that kept the population plenty. Red took the recent love piece addressed to him, trying his best to mask his guilt with pride telling himself Zim was just another Irken; a stupid chaotic insect but still one of his kind. If this boy could have a crush on him, he could have a crush on another, at least that's what Red told himself but standing next to Zim made him reconsider. It was best to do it himself, wasn't it? Red wanted to let sleeping dogs lie, end it here, but was it right to do so brutally?

Zim stiffened at seeing Red, fluster in his body language as his antenna bobbed excitedly, "Oh, R-Red...you don't come to my table often."

"Yeah...I know," Red replied plainly.

"Did you get my note?"

Red flinched, "Uh...yeah...a-about that…" he took a deep breath, "Go...go find another Irken guy, okay?!" he snapped, "I don't feel...I don't feel the same and I want nothing to do with you!" Red closed his eyes as he held the note and shredded it in front of Zim, by the time Red opened his eyes, Zim was mortified. Zim could say nothing, yet his expression was screaming of emotional pain that his PAK had little sparks over the overload.

"You hear that, runt?" Purple jeered, "Red's out of your league!"

The other elites let a chuckle with a cold silent of amusement and giggles that the shortest one of the elites, and the infamous Zim had his feelings shredded into pieces. Zim hung his head, looking at the floor where the red paper that once held his carefully worded letter was torn into nothing. He shifted his feet, trying to sort out the right emotional response and do his best to handle the cold hand of rejection before another tall Irken elite wrapped him in a hold, "Are you gonna cry now, defect?!" Zim shoved him off, but his nerves were shaking as were his legs when a group of tall Irkens about the same height as Red and Purple surrounded Zim, cheering him to sob and weep. It was the ultimate humiliation for Zim who was cloaked with pride. Red had no idea who they were or if he even talked with some of them, but he looked to Purple who was giggling over the event as if someone was telling him a joke by whispers. Red slammed his boot on Purple's metal seating.

"Tell them to call it off!" Red yelled, "I rejected him, he doesn't need anymore!"

"You act as if I gave money to them," Purple said.

"Did you?!"

"Well, one guy…"

Red was about to speak before he heard the sound of what sounded like nails scraping on metal harshly, the small crowd of tall Elitists were on the ground groaning as Zim had his limbs out, tears on his face but his scowl, and the hate in his eyes burned like a swelling fire in the night. Zim left the mess hall to his room quietly in exchange for his usual loud tirade. Red slumped in his seating, he just wanted to reject Zim, not humiliate him. It was fun when Zim was just a mat to walk on, humiliate him when he wasn't aware of it was hilarious, but the fun of it deflated inside of Red. "Were you just using my rejection out of fun, Purple? You not only humiliated Zim, you made me feel like an ass because of that," Red growled. Purple shrugged.

"I mean, besides the snack table, how else are we going to get our fun around here?"

"I dunno play laser striker or catch up with homework, whatever!" Red yelled, "You pushed this situation too far!" Purple rolled his eyes.

"He's caused two blackouts. Do you want another few years of lighting candles?" Purple pointed out. Red pursed his lips. "Thought so, now stop belly aching and eat your lunch," Purple added, drinking from an Irken soda cup, "You really had me going there for a while Red, I almost thought you were going to protect that little monster; but hey, look at it this way, he won't creep around you anymore." Red looked at his food tray, and pushed it aside; his appetite was lost from seeing the extension of Irken cruelty to another.

"You can have it."

Zim was hardly himself after the incident, almost a despondent husk of who he was prior. Even though students hardly left from my academy, Zim had snuck out by squeezing through the gate underneath, and headed to the palace; it was a long walk but it was his only place of sanctuary. Zim ached to be Tallest someday. He never saw himself as defective or small, to him, he could reach the stars if he wanted it hard enough. Zim bumped into another Irken, almost blurting out "Red?" before recognizing it was a civilian drone on their way to work. "You lost?" the Irken asked gently; Zim rushed passed him, he didn't want to be reminded of Red. He hated him. Zim wondered what he saw in him that made be so disgustingly attached like a leech. Zim rushed up the royal stairway, letting out exhausted breaths in between before being stopped by two guards.

"_You_. You are an Elite Academic student, what are you doing out of school grounds?!" one yelled.

Zim was still catching his breath, "Please...I must...see her liege…"

"You wish to see Tallest Miyuki?! You're a student being trained to serve as an invader, and that's not good enough for you?!"

"_Just let me speak to her!"_ Zim cried out, his voice nearly cracking, "I must speak with her highness!"

"Honestly, of all the bratty students—"

"Let him speak, I'm tired of both your noises," Miyuki wasn't far from them entrance, her talk with an official was interrupted between Zim and the guard; even if Miyuki disdained Zim like the majority of the military and government population, she didn't want to sit through another moment of Zim's shrill pleads. Miyuki hovered over and looked down at Zim, her claws to her hips as she patiently waited. Zim swallowed, feeling as small as he ever before Miyuki but the burning he felt himself pushed him forward. "Speak then Irken…" Miyuki commanded.

"Let me be...under your wing," Zim breathed.

Miyuki laughed, "What kind of joke is this?"

"It's not a joke!" Zim growled, "I need...guidance. I want to be built from the ground up. Zim wants to be better, Zim wants to prove his worth to everyone in this empire!" he coughed, his throat becoming dry.

Miyuki smiled with interest. "Shall I throw this mutt out the gates?" the second guard asked, "Such an insult to think-!"

"Now, now, let's not be hasty," Miyuki cooed, "He's just offering his services to serve something greater, is that why you came, _Zim?_ If you want to be trained under me, it'll be far more worse than the academy. You destroy anything you touch," she knelt down to his eye level as Zim caught his breath, "You're a nuisance...but you don't have to be; you're just a gemstone that hasn't been properly dealt with."

"I'll do anything...I...I beseech you, let me be your apprentice, student...whatever you want of me."

Miyuki chuckled lightly, amused by the formalities, "Take him out of his uniform and inform the Irken Academy that he's being taught under me and will be sworn under the Dark Horse Oath."

"Please, my Tallest, you can't—" the guard stammered, "That oath is old and—"

"Are you going against my orders?!" Miyuki snapped, "I said have his uniform changed, place him in the royal apprentice cloak and inform the academy; unless you want to have an early _retirement?" _

"No, my Tallest."

The Dark Horse Oath was an old pact of loyalty between a non-blood related Irken and the Tallest, a last resort for the Irkens deemed unworthy; it was adopting a soldier and refining them; although families were rare outside the civilians providing smeets, there was no law against the Tallest taking in another Irken, as long as they were still young and inexperienced. Zim changed into a more darker color of his uniform, he at first thought it was a dark red but it was more a black violet, it grungy and made him think of ash and rust, before he was wrapped in a cloak his size that had the Irken sigil on top in gold leaf with red rosary like beads hanging off the edge with stars; his boots were exchanged for more buckled ones that had fangs of a beast as the buttons. "Come now Zim," Miyuki said, "You must sign the oath papers with me."

"I don't have to sign it in blood, do I?" Zim asked nervously.

Miyuki chuckled softly, "It won't be your blood. Now come, the ceremonial hall has been prepared for you." Zim looked perplexed by the reply but followed the Tallest up the elevator to the top of the palace where the city could be seen through stain glass. Zim noticed ex-Tallests were lined up on each row and bowing to Miyuki as she glided to the podium. Zim soon realized they were holograms being projected by lights from below. "Zim, come here…" Miyuki ordered, Zim ran over before stopping at seeing an older Irken struggling with his mouth restrained by a torturous looking helmet. Their screams were muffled, and their lenses were shielded.

"Um...who are they?" Zim asked.

"This is just part of the initiative," Miyuki explained, "Just like us Tallest who dismember our thumbs; you, as a Dark Horse must show loyalty by cutting off a traitor thumb. You won't ever be Tallest even if you grow, but in exchange you will have Dark Horse, be as powerful as one...my companion, apprentice,and a son," Miyuki had slid over a ceremonial knife that had a curved blade like a sickle, "After you prove your worth, we shall sign." Zim had examined the blade before staring at the sacrificial Irken whose hand was being restrained by a black cuff and metal locks. Zim saw nothing but the laughing faces who looked down on him, and Red tearing his simple gesture. Zim swiftly slammed the blade as if he was beheading a fish as the Irken howled in anguish, the sound of cries were drowned out by the bells inside of the palace and the Irken march suite being played on the PA.

"What? The Dark Horse Oath?!" Purple nearly screamed when he among other tall Irkens including Red talked, passing rumors and gossip, but hearing such grave news made Red and Purple pale from the revelation. Zim was hardly absent, absurdly late sometimes to classes but not absent; yet Zim was gone for a week, many of the students began joking that Zim hightailed it out of Irk or blew himself up. It was far worse than that, as every Irken dreamt of being Tallest or serving alongside them, but to take an oath in never becoming Tallest in exchange to be imprinted by one by excruciating training...tales told of brainwashing or even hypnosis, to take such an oath meant you threw yourself away; not by codes and programming, the Dark Horse was a weapon. Red was glaring at Purple. "Irkens can _survive _the training, right? It's not as bad as the rumors say, right?!" Purple exclaimed.

"Purple, give it a rest. You're giving me a headache," Red sighed.

"Oh yeah, I forgot, you got the _hots _for him," he teased.

Red threw a game board box against Purple's head before heading to his room, he locked the door once inside and took off the heavy training uniform and gauntlets. He threw them in a pile and laid in the bed. Red didn't want to admit it, but he felt himself sulking over Zim being gone and now his chest was in pain thinking Zim had grown so desperate that he would take a pact that would bar him forever in not becoming Tallest. The guilt was bubbling inside and he could hardly find motivation to study; the papers, and the academy felt null without Zim there. He didn't ask for such feelings, yet they opened like a dam and Red felt himself becoming restless. He tried punching a sack, pacing around his room, and jogged on campus but nothing ceased the guilt. It was as if Red dragged Zim through the ground until he suffocated,

Red couldn't contain himself, slamming his fist into the academy wall until it cracked.

"Damn it!" Red yelled out, slamming into the wall again, "Damn it! I never wanted him gone! I just wanted to reject him! _I just wanted to reject him!" _

the metal rattled with each hit, Red didn't know who he was pleading for, the Tallest, Zim's soul, or what divine deity in those cruel stars crushed him inside to allow such an event to happen. "_You're lying to me if you say he's gone…! Zim never left me! Zim never left at all-! You're all lying!" _Red couldn't control his mouth or his nerves, his throat felt cold from the reality of it. Zim took the Dark Horse Oath, Zim won't be here anymore...Zim won't be...Zim.

Zim was poorly experienced with a blade, he was used to practice stabbing in defense and in close combat but splitting a finger from a claw was more painful than it needed. It wasn't a clean cut as Zim hoped for, he wasn't blessed with a doctors hand but his task was done; too bad the sacrifice died from the shock not even halfway through the ceremony. Zim didn't realize the other died until he felt their shoulder and they slumped with their PAK falling out with the chords still attached to the back like slithering metal rope. "It's better this way," Miyuki commented, coldly, "If they didn't die, they would've suffered more. You, as Black Horse, do not forgive so easily. Do you understand, Zim?"

"The Black Horse does not...f-forgive easily," Zim trembled, staring at his claws. He blew others out of ignorance, and caused explosions and accidentally caused blackouts for his planet but for the first time, he got to taste his cold anger against the Luna blade; explosions and blades had different flavors to someone like Zim, Irkens were more sensitive with their data and antenna so when he struck for the first time; time had stopped and it grew cold, it felt tougher than cutting meat but he felt the vibration like an explosion within his senses. The new data and the way his body felt, it was pure electricity until he felt himself gurgle. Zim finally felt the cold air and the freezing of his blood; he killed another of his kind but he was in absolute control this time. He covered his mouth with his glove as he held back the urge to vomit, and became a gagging mess.

"That's a normal reaction to the initiation," Miyuki assured him, "I am just curious about one thing, what made you come to me, was taking the oath worth it? You won't become Tallest as long as you breathe—"

"I don't care about being Tallest anymore!" Zim snarled. Miyuki was taken aback by the hostility, "I could care less about it, all Zim wants is to prove...these _inferior _Irkens are nothing compared to me," he growled until he noticed his lenses felt wet from tears and onto the floor.

"Your raison d'etre, tell me."

Zim sighed, "Red…"

"Another Irken?"

"Yes, taller than me, same sex."

"Are you encoded as a civilian?"

"No, invader in training."

"Yet you harbor feelings, do you not?"

Zim turned his head away, "They are...one sided. I never want to see him again, or go back to that academy. They...laughed at me and Zim just feels...tired of it." Miyuki took his hands and looked at them, feeling the blood that was drying before taking them off, throwing them in the bin and slipped on new ones. Zim was still in shock of the aftermath of the ceremony but his body calmed down slightly after the new gloves were slid on. Zim looked up at Miyuki, blanching slightly, "I never used a knife like that before." She only gave a bemused smile.

"I'll let the personal palace brain add in new encoding into your PAK and register as the Dark Horse, a royal black knight, it's been decades since this happened; not many Irkens tend to want or agree, but you've certainly proven you are willing…" Miyuki patted his shoulder, "Come then, I shall show you where you will rest and have you officiated in the morning amongst your people."

"My people?" Zim asked in confusion, "But...I'm not the Tallest."

"True, you're not," Miyuki replied, "You still serve under me, as a pillar, you're royalty now; you might still be unpolished, but then wait several years. I wonder how Irk's most hated and despised will be after his metamorphosis, it's exciting."

Knights were supposedly dead in Irk, after the modernization came in and the earlier periods were preserved in museums and archives by found relics and information, codes and traditions were sometimes changed if it may be; but this was the first time Miyuki plucked Zim from the nest of the academy and gave him a taste of what he could do if he wanted, under Miyuki's guidance of course. The weeks had stretched as the planet's sun drawn out the days, and Red couldn't take it anymore. It was against their schedule, but Red played hooky with Purple, using a laser wire cutter to squeeze into the palace from the back and took an employee only stairway to get inside. "You know, when you said you were playing hooky I thought you meant heading to Foodcourtia to eat for a while, not put our records on the line and breaking into the royal palace!" Purple griped, "Do you _want _us expelled, banished or used for the organic sweep?!"

"I didn't invite you, you came because on your own accord. So don't blame me for your idiotic actions," Red snapped, "We're just here to get Zim back and go."

"Get the pipsqueak back? _That's your idea of hooky?!"_

Red winced, "I was _lying_ about eating for hooky but you came with; just leave if you want," he said pushing past Purple and checking each door before his antennae twitched from a familiar voice from above. Red took the elevator with Purple reluctantly following to the upper floors; Red heard Zim's voice coming from the other side of two large double doors and pushed them open. "Zim?" Zim sat on a bench, wrapped in a dark cloak with old Irkens symbols done in gold leaf, and a star was plastered on his forehead, not the **V **that was on the other elites. Zim barely noticed them at first not until Red placed his hands on Zim's shoulders.

"Get off," Zim growled.

"Don't throw an attitude, you runt!" Purple yelled causing Red to nudge him in the stomach, "Ow-!"

"Please Zim, you have to come back with us. You don't know what you're getting yourself into," Red pleaded, even though he felt deep inside this felt half assed and flimsy. Zim had a look that he was not ready to leave, a child reluctant to move not without kicking and shrieking while being dragged. "Please just tell me, you didn't agree to that archaic oath. It's not good for you! You could die!" Red added, trying to pull Zim up only to feel himself be kicked in the stomach.

"Since when you two care?!" Zim pointed at Red accusingly, "You let those inferior Irkens overwhelm me when I was down! Rejecting me wasn't good enough for you, you bastard?!"

Red felt a burn in his chest, slapping Zim's hand away, "That wasn't me, at all! Y-you still have a tell me...did you-?!"

"Yes, Zim has taken the Dark Horse Oath. Tallest Miyuki promised me rebirth, Zim shall rise greater than you or Purple!" Zim explained, "I might never ever be the Tallest, but as long as I'm revered and praised, I am an important figure in the empire!"

"You're sick…" Red sputtered.

"I've been improved," Zim corrected, smiling.

Red felt speechless and empty, any words or attempts of trying to convince Zim to return fell out as Red stood there slack-jawed. Purple scoffed, about to open the door to let them leave but Miyuki walked in, startling them both. "Ah, your friends came to visit I see," she pointed to Red, "This must be your old crush."

Zim scoffed, "Trying to play hero too."

Zim's words struck deeper than intended, Red (next to Purple) was always Zim's academy bullies, amongst other tall Irkens but these two indulged in making Zim suffer; after Zim had broken down, he was granted to see clearly that he was not equal ground as he thought. He felt livid that those that walked on him, were pleading him to return to a place where laughter and pain was an everyday occurrence; it was as Zim said, trying to play hero after they had reaped what they sowed. It was laughable. Red's breath was heavy and the room felt small, he grabbed Miyuki's gauntlets and glared up at her. He couldn't control his breath as he felt himself go on autopilot, Zim thought he was going to be aggressive and unsheathed a dagger but Red blurted out: "Give me the oath! Let me be a Dark Horse too!"

Zim dropped his dagger, with his eyes wide as saucers as his blood went cold.

Red, what could you possibly be thinking?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Zim was baffled by the declaration, he gave up everything, even his future title as leader of all Irkens, and now Red was saying _he _wanted to take the Dark Horse Oath as well? Zim had to sever an Irkens finger to get to the starting point; he felt like he had what he always wanted, to be revered, praised, being a gem to his Tallest This is what he rightfully earned after being thrown to the wolves, and now Red wanted it too...Zim came to the quickest conclusion that Red wanted the oath to treat him badly, no matter his rankings. "What's the big idea?!" Zim snapped, "Are you trying to ruin things for me?!"

"Zim, I know we're not exactly friends, more like acquaintances but, there is absolutely no way I'm going to let you go through this alone. I pushed you to this point, so if you're going through hell then...I'm coming with you," Red explained.

Zim scoffed, "Romantic," he replied dryly, "Save it for an Irken who cares. My Tallest, you're not really going to listen to this guy, right?"

Miyuki looked more amused than anything, the same expression of a feline playing with string or it's prey before devouring it. She tenderly stroked Zim's head, ignoring his grumpy expression splashed on his face, "Quite honestly, I'm curious where this will go in a few more years. Soon you'll reach the age of adulthood, and Zim shall be given a special diet to help his body and height, as for you...something for your neck." Red rose an eyebrow at such a comment before noticing Zim was still glaring at him, so did Purple.

"Oh, I see how it is," Purple said in exasperation, "Can't live with him, can't live without him."

Zim remained silent, he was in an unsaid furor but was unable to make a rebuttal to Miyuki. He hated her decision but she was still Tallest, not him. Red hung his head, but was also speechless, his silence irritated Purple.

"So I guess things is goodbye then," Purple huffed, looking like he was fighting back tears, "You're really going to end things right here by taking that oath."

"I'll send messages and visit when allowed to okay?"

Purple looked at Miyuki, "Can he do that?"

"Yes, his new duty and title doesn't bar from communications," Miyuki replied, "Shall I get one of the guards to show you the way out?" Miyuki left with Purple out the double doors, leaving Red and Zim alone together; after Zim made sure they were far away enough. Zim slapped Red across the cheek harshly.

"I can't believe you just did that!" Zim yelled.

"Yeah, well...I'm not taking it back," Red retorted, "You're the one who—"

"Oh, suddenly it's _my _fault, is it?"

"You agreed to a dangerous oath without knowing what's on the paperwork?!"

"You just agreed to it yourself!"

"You did it first!"

"Yeah, so?!"

Miyuki walked in on their banter, surprised to see Zim giving a pout and an attempt at a cold shoulder, only for Zim to flail and yell at Red's bombardment of scoldings; Red didn't mind that he was no different. He was aware it was hypocritical and Zim had every right to react with hostility. "I do hope you realize what you're getting into, Red, the Dark Horse Oath is better for Irkens who struggle in the order of things; it's much harder for those that do well enough on your own...in order to be something, you must be nothing, nothing as in the worthless; but this is your decision. I trust you'll be ready to cut a traitor thumb like Zim before you. You must, cut off yourself…" Miyuki chuckled, "I must admit I am amused by your loyalty though. You rejected Zim, yet you came running to his aid in playing the knight in shining armor; does this mean Zim has you wrapped around his finger?"

"It means nothing, my Tallest," Zim butted, "I bet he just wants to babysit me."

Red blanched, "I'm just looking after you, not babysitting you!"

Zim scoffed, "Tell me the difference between them then," he challenged, crossing his arms. Miyuki looked tired of their arguments, ushering Red to be placed in the same ceremonial cloth and markings; Red was presented to the top floor with Zim sitting on a chair cupping his cheek while he participated as something of an audience. Red's heart felt itself slam when he noticed an Irken in restraints and his claw out with a cuff restraining him...was about as tall as Miyuki and his head structure was similar to his.

"Who is...who is that?" Red echoed Zim's question from earlier.

"A traitor," Zim answered.

"I was asking Tallest Miyuki!"

"It's as Zim says, a traitor to be regime. If you forget the sacrifice isn't there, it makes the process easier," Miyuki explained plainly, as if Red was cutting cards and not cutting a finger, "Just think of it as a vegetable, a piece of meat, or a sack, or it can be someone you deeply loathe...even yourself in the process."

"You're not answering _my _question, Miyuki. Who is that traitor?!" Red snapped.

"You really wish to know? That's rare," she giggled, "This is your donor, well, civilian donor who surrendered his samples to the clone tank. It's a shame really, as a civilian drone you tend to be more emotional; you do something reckless out of useless attachment. You've ever noticed you and Purple share almost a twin like structure yet not many share your traits? You can thank him."

"Donor? Y-you mean like...a father?"

"Father is quite the stretch, but yes, every Irken born from the tank or of civilian carrier birth donates samples to keep the population strong. This donor of yours was so reckless in wanting you as a son, the smeet tank malfunctioned! No one on this planet likes being reminded of the pungent stench of the green plumage cloud that hung after! Now this _fool_ is a sacrifice for you...to be part of your initiation! It's poetic, is it not?"

"C-civilians feel more than us, don't they?" Red pointed out, his voice quivering.

"Trust me, this is mercy," Miyuki handed him the crescent blade and moved to the podium, moving Red's blade to where the skin in between the finger and thumb separated, "Isn't there someone you hate?" she asked, "You can even pretend it's you, if you wish, a part of you that loathe and hate; or how about yourself entirely? Just release that rage onto the skin. I don't expect a _clean cut, _so no pressure, Irken."

Red flinched, "I won't cut until he's numb! He might just be my donor, but he's still something of a father to me! My Tallest, I order for an anesthesia to numb his hand!" he shouted. Zim's eyes widened at the command as Miyuki looked deeply insulted at the insistence of a numbing drug to lessen the pain.

"_You order?!" _she repeated, venom dripping from each letter, "_You ORDER?! _You can learn a thing or two from Zim, he obeys my orders and is now valuable to our regime. This is tradition, dear Red, you wanted the oath; this is the initiation, there are no drugs needed, the sacrifice is meant to scream and yell, our people relish to it; and yet, you order _me_? You have gall."

Red suddenly felt his lenses be wrapped in cloth and pulled back slightly. Zim had wrapped his eyes in a black cloth, Red was worried he had failed until Zim whispered to him, "Will this help, Red? If...if seeing your donor father in pain hurts so much, then don't see it," Zim replied, it was a weak attempt and felt like salt on the open wound.

"Did you kill yours too?" Red asked.

"I...never asked, I was mad at you, at everyone; I tried to cut you off, yet you came...you really are a jerk," Zim trailed off.

"Is there any rules against the one in the initiation wearing a blindfold?"

"No."

Red felt the donor's trembling hand he could feel the shape and realized how much it was like his hand. The long claws and palm nearly mirrored each other and it felt warm and gentle. "I f-f-forgive y-you…" the Irken muttered underneath his restraints, "I...m' p-proud of you…" Red was unable to withhold his tears as he positioned the blade.

I forgive you, son, I forgive you…

Red, for the first time in his life, felt a wave of grief envelope him; not many Irkens rarely meet their donor parents but to kill one who was just a civilian Irken made Red feel filthy, even after a shower Red could still feel the odor clinging onto his skin. The blindfold did very little, it just filled Red with shame that he couldn't face the Irken who saw him as something more than a tank smeet. Red sat with Zim in the foyer, their chairs were across from each other but the tense air was palpable. Zim knew why Red had fallen silent, he would've gloated "I knew you had it in you!" but that would have made Red's feelings worse. Each class of Irken to the Tallest had a civilian donor at one point, that's just their way of life. Red thought he could blindly accept it but after the ceremony, he reconsidered his blase acceptance.

"You look half dead…" Zim said, breaking the silence.

"I feel half dead…" Red replied, "I just...I just killed my donor father. How am I supposed to take this?! At the academy, we were never taught how to deal with grief!"

"You can always turn back…" Zim offered.

"Leaving you alone with Miyuki?!" he snapped.

Zim was startled by the lack of formalities since Tallest Miyuki was their leader, "I thought you respected her, even liked her?" he asked. Red was glaring with a hurtful expression, Tallest Miyuki threw her trust away with him, and even his respect. Irkens weren't the kindest of species, but what Red felt was something he could no longer comprehend.

"I don't respect her anymore and you shouldn't either!"

Zim scoffed, feeling different from Red, "You asked, and wanted to participate," he said. Red felt a burning anger bubble because of Zim's attitude; he walked over and shoved Zim onto the wall, grasping his gloved hands and making sure Zim felt overwhelmed by the bigger and taller Irken. Zim didn't bother to struggle or protest, he usually would, but he didn't as he knew the scales finally tipped in his favor. "Are you going to continue pointing fingers at me?" Zim asked, "For an Irken that prides himself in being the level headed one, you sure are an idiot. Your didn't have to see me, yet you came, and you didn't need to take the oath, and now you're here with me. I don't remember pleading you to rescue me, Miyuki rescued me from you!"

"Is that how you see it?"

"Red, where could I go?" Red went silent letting Zim, dropping him and instead wrapped his arms around his waist. Zim winced at the contact as if he was touching fire and moved his hands away. Zim looked up at Red, his cheeks warm, but was insulted by the gesture. "I'm not your damsel!" Zim yelled, "I'm sure as Irk not your sweetheart either!"

"I...I have no plans on leaving you with her!" Red yelled back, "She made me kill my donor father, what's going to happen to you?" Zim looked troubled trying to find an answer, but Red knew this was pointless; acting out of emotions and trying to dump this on Zim as if that would change his mind, "I'm sorry...you...you're right, after how I acted I should leave but, I'm not going to, not without you."

"Would things change if I did?"

"I'd change…"

Zim sighed, shaking his head. "I don't believe it; perhaps show me someday," he suggested, "Show me you're sorry and willing, but that's asking too much." Zim reclined back in his seat while Red slumped in his chair as the doors opened, two veiled Irkens in priest like robes with a white Irken sigil on their hats walked in holding dark colored armor, and two rotating mechanical spheres used to alternate PAK appearances; putting on the suit felt painful at first, as the armor was placed on roughly by the older Irkens, the heat from the armor made them gasp as it adjusted to their bodies, feeling like horses forced to carry more than their body weight. Their cries became muffled as muttered prayers overwhelmed their sense of sound before the sphere was forcefully shoved into their PAKs; Zim and Red let out painful whimpers when foreign chords that were out of date invaded their interfaces. Their bodies were on fire from the inside and Red even coughed and shouted at the priestly Irkens to stop; their PAK color changed from pink, red, purple, grey before stopping on black. The sphere was shoved in further and a chip attached itself to make the Irken symbol on the outside, wrapped in a circle of vines with two headed black horses on the inside carrying a crown.

Zim slumped to the ground with Red, steam arising from their PAKs and bodies as they struggled to regain control of their vision, and yearned for the numbness to fade.

"Red…" Zim wheezed, "I...I can't breathe…"

Red subconsciously held onto Zim's hand, he couldn't see due to the PAK shock, but he could feel Zim close to him. The priest Irkens smiled at them even after their systems felt fried as if they were close to death. "Ahh, so good to see the youngest generations taking part of the empire. I am High Priest Xev and my brother, Xeck," he bowed, "Now don't worry, you're not dying...it only feels that way because your PAKs are adjusting to the new..._updates. _It's like restarting a computer after a system update, it's just a little restart, my sons."

"Now come with us to the re-encode chambers. It will just hurt for a brief moment."

The very moment they were brought in to an almost angelic shaped control brain did their suffering felt like teeth being pulled, when chord tendrils forced their way inside of their PAKs and pulsed a white energy into them; a screen above recorded the progress as their Elitists titles were stripped and swapped for Dark Horse. Red and Zim could barely stand up as they felt overwhelmed, causing them to fall unconscious into sleep. "Tallest be praised! New warriors are revived after being so long dead!" Priest Xev declared as if a miracle happened.

Red and Zim woke up out of their armor but their PAKs looked different. They were in their own chambers, sharing the same bed outside of their uniforms, aside from their leggings, but Zim barely had any energy to complain about it. "How do you feel?" Red asked automatically, it was such a stupid question at this point in time. Zim weakly rolled over, pulling the blanket on himself and getting into a fetal position.

"Like my brain got fried by the meanest microwave ever, that's how I feel!" Zim snarled before breaking into coughs.

"Sorry I asked…" Red replied dryly. He looked over at Zim who was trying to hide his warm cheeks underneath the blankets.

"Why did you hold my hand earlier?"

Red blanched, feeling placed on the spot, "Um, you said you had a hard time breathing, so I tried comforting you."

Comfort was a rare word in its context on Irk, it was mostly used to describe the sensation of being adjusted, or relaxed on material items and eating comfort food and being wrapped in comfortable uniform; you would never hear the word comfort used to bring someone at ease except your Tallest and superiors. Zim felt a wash of embarrassment after Red's explanation; he surely didn't feel angry against it, but Zim was still wrapped in a code that Miyuki told him, he shouldn't easily forgive. Zim had no idea what he was trying to pull, but he couldn't argue with himself anymore that Red was a threat, they were in the same boat, and neither of them wanted to budge from their decisions. They already signed their lives away, and we're no longer in the right to be Tallest. Zim sighed, feeling the heat on regret slowly eat away with him, "It was stupid of you to follow after me," he replied back.

Red chuckled, "I guess I'm not that different from Purple at times. We don't think things through."

Zim looked over at him, giving a bittersweet smile, "That's one thing we can both agree on," he said. Red wanted to move himself, to look at Zim more closely, but he didn't want to scare Zim off or make him feel anymore discomfort than those priests had on them both. Zim still noticed his gaze. "What? Something on my face?" Zim stammered.

"No. Nothing like that. You...just have pretty eyes, is all."

Zim shoved his foot to Red's face, letting out a frustrated scream that woke up half the staff before realizing it was just Zim and not a siren going off. "Quit being so flirty!" Zim yelled in his tantrum, he still hadn't forgotten about the rejection.

"Zim, calm down," Red said in exasperation, "I just...want to start over, okay? We're not at the academy anymore, we're both in this situation together. You...don't ever need to forgive me."

"Start over, you mean like what Miyuki told me?"

Red had no idea about the prior talk Zim had with the Tallest, but he reluctantly nodded, "A new start, between us?"

Zim was reluctant at first, it was hard to tell if Red was genuine or honest sometimes, but Red just felt altogether a bit different after their ordeals. Zim just figured Red finally reached a point he never thought he would reach, it just came too quickly and harshly; and Red even lost respect for Miyuki as a result. "_Fine_," Zim huffed, "A new start...don't think you're going to get any more—"

"Zim, I kept your letters. I just never opened them," Zim looked shocked at the confession but his thoughts were interrupted when Xev and Xeck walked in. Red pulled Zim close, startling the other, "Yeah? What do you two want?"

Xev and Xeck pulled off their ceremonial veiled hats and bowed. "Ach, no need for hostility, we are mainly the priests hired to work with you. We're the seventh generation of priesthood that still run on Irk; we have to keep traditions hush hush, but Miyuki told us about you both," Xev said, "Priests mostly give blessings to military and help make statues of Tallest." Zim looked unimpressed, he wasn't religious but these Irkens came from a line rooted in old Irken, on Irk, there weren't many deities to trace on murals or scriptures, instead Irkens worshipped the stars and constellations; each burning ball or a line like crystal was worshipped, planet's listed as sacred were still on the Massive map as to avoid being blown up by the armada.

"You're also outdated," Zim said rudely, "Can I order you to leave or something?"

Xeck laughed dryly, "I think you misheard, my son, we work _with _you, not for," he corrected, "You're both Dark Horses now, in your mind you must think we're both inferior to you, just because we aren't allowed swords or even invaders; but in truth, boys, you have less rights than a table drone. We're higher than _you._"

Zim got off the bed and glared at the two, "But we're royalty, right?"

"Only about as royal as a scepter. It's only occurred to you now that you've taken an inferior title?" Xev asked, "The lowest of the low agree to the oath and stay that way; ancient Irkens still held the cruelty as they do today. When you're displayed in your black armor, you're just dressed up royal furniture made to look after her highness and—"

"That's enough Father Xev, and Father Xeck," Miyuki appeared from the elevator doors on the side of the bedroom, "Don't agitate my loyal subjects, be off." Xev and Xeck left through the hallway.

"Was what they said...true?" Zim asked.

"Yes, you have less rights than a drone, but you still live in the palace regardless. You will be pampered and fed, not out of praise or reverence, but out of pity for the first few years. You must start at the very bottom to earn favor," Miyuki said, "Even if I were to die, you must become more refined. You earn respect by this oath and transform yourselves...I don't expect an overnight metamorphosis, and it will be painful."

Zim looked heartbroken, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's against the oath to tell the details until they are signed. I'm sorry, Zim, but I must adhere to it; but, please believe me when I say, you are my responsibility now because you are despised; Red can choose what he wants now that he's here. Zim, you are my priority."


End file.
